General Knowledge Project

[Netopalis]

Hello, all...I've been skimming the blog here, and I've found it very interesting so far. I registered because I think that the people who read this forum would probably be fairly sympathetic and helpful to my plan. Essentially, a few weeks ago, I was speaking to someone who didn't know something about law (the field that I plan on studying after college) that I considered to be fairly general knowledge. After this discussion, however, I began to wonder - what do I not know that I really should? So, I decided on a course of action: reading three books in each of a series of subjects, in order to get a good framework in each one. What I would like are recommendations for good entry-level books in each of these subjects, more ideas for subjects or just some general tips on how I'm going to read this many books before law school....

The subjects:
Science
Literature
Philosophy (Leaning towards ethical philosophy - I plan on reading something by Kant)
Christianity (I'm a Christian, and while I'm fairly well read on Christian subjects, I can always learn more. I'm a huge fan of C. S. Lewis, particularly Mere Christianity, and would appreciate any recommendations along that line.)
Art (I may decide to try drawing or painting rather than reading here, it would seem to make more sense)
Psychology
Leadership/Personal Development
Computers
Politics
Music (As with art, I'll probably focus more on listening to new Classical and Jazz music, as well as learning an instrument)
Rhetoric/Formal Logic
Economics

The following are a few subjects that I think would be done justice with just one book:
First aid
Car mechanics
Survival skills
Cooking (Not sure)


Many of you may notice that I've skipped history - this is because I'm a history major and regularly read 5 books on the subject per semester - thus, additional reading wouldn't help that much.

Anyway, any suggestions would be appreciated, and I look forward to meeting you all and hearing your replies!

[Shamou]

Hello and welcome aboard Netopalis...

Congratulation on your project... I think that it is fantastic... however, since you intend to become a lawyer... here is what I suggest that you should do first...

Read the biographies of famous attorneys... that should direct you on the path that you should follow...

Also, you should send a letter to the most prominent lawyer in your town... and invite him for a super at some nice restaurant where you could pick his brain... he will be flattered and chances are that he will accept your invitation and probably even pay for the meal... at least, it's worth a try...

There is nothing like talking to someone who has run the gauntlet before to get genuine a useful information...

The very best of luck to you...
.

[Netopalis]

Well, to be entirely honest, this is more about personal development than it is about professional skill. I've spoken to several lawyers, and with the exception of one who told me to become a Chippendale's dancer instead, the advice was the same: Get into a fairly good law school, use internships to find a firm that you like and eventually go with that one. Not exactly the most glamorous view of things, but it seems logical...

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Netopalis

I've spoken to several lawyers,

This is just my personal opinion but I believe that the vast majority of people are dissatisfied with their job/profession... that's why I said that you should contact the "most prominent" lawyer... he or she's the one who loves the profession and will get your wheels spinning...

The best of luck to you on your PD work...
.

[sadavis00]

Being knowledgeable is a cool trick, but its not really useful, and it won't make you happy unless you gain it with a purpose. The best way to do this probably to pick one subject that you find interesting already, and let that interest carry over into other fields. For example, my interest in the life sciences led me to bioethics, then to philosophy, then to psychology, then to history, and so on. The point is to be curious. I began with trying to learn about embryos, then to stem cell research, then to stem cell ethics, then I wondered why ethics are the way they are, this led me to philosophy, then I wondered how philosophy is different from psychology, was Freud a philosopher or a psycologist? and so on....

[Calculusaurus]

I read a lot of science books, but you'll probably want to be more specific. Science is not exactly one topic... are you most interested in the natural sciences or life sciences? Hard science (physics, chemistry) or soft science (psychology, nutrition)?

And why not put math on the list? Up until recently you wouldn't be taken seriously as an academic without knowledge of geometry (it was even required to enter some academic buildings) :P

[Brutha]

And why not put math on the list? Up until recently you wouldn't be taken seriously as an academic without knowledge of geometry (it was even required to enter some academic buildings) :P

While I also think that math is important I don't think that you will learn very much by reading three math books. To learn math you have to actually solve math problem.

[RT Wolf]

Try the for dummies or idiot's guide to series, as a starter. In some of them, you'll find a bibliography or reference in the back, check out which ones seem to be used the most or seem to be interesting to you.

Another thing is to search for those terms in amazon and then browse the readers opinions. Look for key words like, great intro or "easy to read". And so on.

That's a great idea, btw.

[Ree]

Don't be in such a hurry. Learning is a lifetime experience to be savored and enjoyed. It can be a delightful process rather than a list of things to do.

I've found that my interests naturally flowed from one subject to another and as I've simplified my life, I have more time to indulge in whatever interests me, like taking gourmet cooking classes, learning Italian and a reptile identification course taught by an ecologist friend!

If you should become a trial attorney, be prepared to learn a lot about a huge range of subjects. I worked for a trial attorney years ago on a per case basis. We had crash courses on things as varied as learning all there is to know about Vidalia Onions, to how a hospital sterilizer works, to strip mining, to preparation of public offerings. It was never boring!

Best of luck to you

[Calculusaurus]

Originally Posted by Brutha

While I also think that math is important I don't think that you will learn very much by reading three math books. To learn math you have to actually solve math problem.

What about math history? About math logic and philosophy? About the tale of euclidean geometry and how it finally gave way to non-euclidean fields and how they relate to general relativity? About people like Gauss and Galois? About proofs that went unsolved for centuries such as Fermat's last thereom? About the Russell paradox, or Godel's incompleteness theorem?

There's so much to learn about math that doesn't require a problem sovling effort on your part. So much intellectually important stuff. I'm a little biased, but I really don't understand how a "general knowledge project" could be missing one of the most important intellectual developments of mankind's history.

[Calculusaurus]

If you want to read the crowning book for intellectuals of the 20th Century, read Godel, Escher, Bach.

Wiki says:

On its surface, GEB examines logician Kurt Gödel, artist M. C. Escher and composer Johann Sebastian Bach, discussing common themes in their work and lives. At a deeper level, the book is a detailed and subtle exposition of concepts fundamental to mathematics, symmetry, and intelligence.

Through illustration and analysis, the book discusses how self-reference and formal rules allow systems to acquire meaning despite being made of "meaningless" elements. It also discusses what it means to communicate, how knowledge can be represented and stored, the methods and limitations of symbolic representation, and even the fundamental notion of "meaning" itself.

It'll be difficult to find a more interesting tome of intellectual knowledge. It's three birds with one stone: art, music, and math. Though the underlying theme is mostly logical, philosophical, and mathematical. The book kicks ass, but you might be looking for more superficial, basic knowledge on subjects, in which case this book will be a bit much.

[Netopalis]

Wow...lots of great replies.

Sadavis: I don't know - I think that a certain amount of general knowledge could be quite useful - for example, Psychology can help me understand why someone else is making the decisions that they do so that I can better understand how to relate to them, a study of sciences can help me if I were ever in a judicial position and had to render a verdict on some sort of ethical consideration...The list goes on. Essentially, my thought is that I'll never know when I need a bit of knowledge, and I'll never know if it was useful if I don't know it in the first place. Besides, I suppose it can't hurt. I also suppose that if I were to choose one field to study, my first pick would be law - but I'll be studying that in graduate school, and any pre-study is probably going to be futile. My second pick would be history, but I'm taking 9 hours of college credit in it this semester and have another 30-odd hours to finish before my 3 years are up. As for whether or not it makes me happy, I've found that just about anything in life can make a person happy - it's a matter of how you view it.

Calculusaurus - My original thought was probably one basic book each on Biology, Physics and Chemistry. As for Math, I really should have considered it - I'll definitely add it to the list, both a practical (solving problems) and theoretical set of books. Also, my "3 books" strategy isn't set in stone - I'm perfectly willing to actually do something instead to study that particular field. Also, I'll definitely check out GEB, it looks like an interesting read.

RT Wolf - Thanks for your compliments! I honestly hadn't considered the For Dummies books so much, but I suppose that I should, at least for the bibliography section.

[Mark Lapierre]

I haven't read many books dealing with pure psychology (just papers or books on specific areas of psych), though in my first year class we use this book as our textbook: Psychology An International Perspective

It's very easy to understand and, from what my lecturers have said, it would cover everything that you'd want for the level of knowledge you're after. It's a big book so I doubt you'd need more. And in this and any area of science, you're probably better off looking to recent research or review papers to fill in the gaps left by a book (or to keep up with corrections in your area of interest (since it's impossible to keep up with everything))

As for sadavis' comment regarding reasons for gathering all this knowledge, the more you know the easier it becomes to create links between new knowledge and existing knowledge, and you'll be able to create more links, making all your knowledge more accessible, not necessarily just the particular field you're working in.

For example, if you know a lot about computers it's possible to come up with analogies that help you understand more when you're learning about neuroscience. And vice-versa. (no the brain isn't a computer, nor is the computer a brain, but the analogy can be useful as long as you're aware of where the analogy breaks down).

An example which is clearly applicable to many fields is networking theory. Computers, biology (including neuroscience), social psychology... All of them involve networks at some level.

Finally, the association of differing concepts to create new ones is a big part of creativity (arguably all of creativity).

(not that I need to convince you Netopalis, but if anyone else doubts why this is a good idea, hopefully they can put their doubts to rest)

[Brutha]

If you want to read the crowning book for intellectuals of the 20th Century, read Godel, Escher, Bach.

I also think that it's a good book, but it's also a difficult book (as my math teacher used to say, a lot of people brought it to put it on their bookshelf in his youth to show that they're intellectual strength but never read the 800 pages). I don't know whether a history major will really understand it.
It quite a difference from your Math for Dummies book.
But I guess trying to read it will only increase your intellectual horizont.

[Netopalis]

Alright, I've compiled my list of books thus far, I'm hoping to get started on them pretty soon, and would appreciate some constructive input on any of them.

Science - Everyone's Guide to Science (John Gribbin); Asimov's Guide to Science(Isaac Asimov); A Brief History of Time (Stephen Hawking)
Literature - War and Peace(Tolstoy), Henry VIII(Shakespeare), Various poets
Philosophy - Kant, Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Ethics
Christianity - The Divine Conspiracy (Dallas Willard); Knowing God(J. I. Packard); Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (John Piper) (The last is dependent on whether or not my library can get a copy - if not, then I'll swap it for Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis, which I have always meant to read. I may read all four anyway.)
Art - I'll probably get a book each on an intro to drawing and painting, with perhaps a third on art appreciation. No definite titles yet.
Psychology - The Complete Idiot's Guide to Psychology (Joni Johnston); Blink: The Power of Thought Without Thinking (Malcolm Gladwell); Stumbling on Happiness (Daniel Gilbert)
Leadership/Personal Development - Getting things Done (David Allen); The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey); The Memory Book (Harry Lorayne)
Computers - Undecided - I believe that a book on programming in either Python or Lua would be good, as well as a book on HTML and a book on Vista
Politics - The Prince (Machiavelli); The Federalist Papers (Various authors); A biography of Theodore Roosevelt
Music - Probably will attempt to learn an instrument, and I am debating on which one. This will probably be one of my later areas.
Rhetoric - A Conceptual Theory of Rhetoric (Frank D'Angelo); Contemporary theories of rhetoric: Selected Readings (Richard Johannesen); After Rhetoric (Stephen Yarborough)
Economics - Not a clue yet.
Math - As of yet undecided. I may flip through GEB to see if it's at a level that I understand. It will definitely include a theoretical and practical book on the subject, however. I may just try to dig out my old college algebra textbook and work through that...Definitely taking suggestions on books in this area.

Any thoughts?

Mark: While I liked your psych suggestion, I sadly can't get a hold of a copy through my library. Unfortunately, as a college student, I am rather financially challenged...

[Iksander]

There already is a 'General Knowledge Project' underway (has been for over a decade now I think).

Cycorp, Inc.

They have been building a common sense ontology for use in computer reasoning applications. The intelligence of their ontology is incredible (thousands of assertions).

While their full Ontology is geared towards research (they only grant research licenses for it), they have an open source version of the Ontology that is slightly smaller than their development system.

[Mark Lapierre]

If you're going to learn HTML you'd do well to learn CSS at the same time. Perhaps modern books are better, but every older one I remember reading largely ignored the semantics of HTML elements, which is important for SEO, not to mention efficient, effective code. HTML for content, CSS for style.

Regarding memory, I found Your Memory by Kenneth Higbee to be very good. Though I have a copy of Lorayne's so I should read that and compare!

[Netopalis]

Iksander: What does that have to do with this? I don't really see a connection...

Mark: Thanks for the tip - I'll definitely do that, then. Omitting CSS was due to lack of knowledge of its usefulness rather than a conscious decision....

[Iksander]

Because the Ontology has a query-able knowledge-base containing a very large number of assertions concerning the topics you are talking about.

(and the title of your thread is 'General Knowledge Project')

[Kaspian]

Originally Posted by Netopalis

I began to wonder - what do I not know that I really should? So, I decided on a course of action: reading three books in each of a series of subjects, in order to get a good framework in each one. What I would like are recommendations for good entry-level books in each of these subjects, more ideas for subjects or just some general tips on how I'm going to read this many books before law school....

A good overview of Classical music history is A History of Western Music by Donald Jay Grout and Claude W Palisca.

It's interesting and fairly easy to read, but detailed enough to give you a reasonable understanding of how musical traditions have developed and changed over the years. If you have no musical background at all, there are a few terms you will need to look up, but in general, the book is not too technical. It starts with early, early music, so if you're more interested in recent stuff (18th-20th Century), you might want to start at or after Chapter 9.

Though you said that you're already reading a lot of history, you will probably enjoy reading about the music discussed in the text and then listening to it, since it'll add to your understanding about why the piece sounds the way it does and what the composer was thinking at the time. In fact, there's a CD anthology produced to go with the book—Norton Recorded Anthology of Western Music.

[Netopalis]

Excellent! That looks like just about the type of thing that I was looking for, as far as the reading in music goes. I'm also planning on learning a simple instrument in that section as well, but this is great. Thanks, I'll definitely add it to the list.

Any recommendations on economics? I'm afraid that I'm rather clueless on that subject....

[Kaspian]

Originally Posted by Netopalis

Any recommendations on economics? I'm afraid that I'm rather clueless on that subject....

My husband studied economics in college, and now that he has spent several years doing other reading, he feels that the economics he learned in college was worthless (mostly the Keynesian and Chicago branches). Over the last year or so, he has been reading and raving about books and articles published by the Mises Institute. I took a quick glance at their website, and the Concise Guide to Economics looks like a good place to start. I'll talk to my husband and see if he has any other specific recommendations for you.